The best computer speakers

The built-in speakers lining your laptop or monitor are rarely worthy of praise. With those chintzy stock speakers, you’re missing out on all the nuance that goes into the creation of your favorite songs, film scores, and, of course, Overwatch taunts. A quality speaker system is essential if you want to make the most of your media.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of the best computer speakers on the market. We can’t guarantee they’ll make Bastion’s fanfare any less infuriating, but at least it will sound better.

The Best

The Allaire offers the most complete combination of high-end sound quality, versatility, and connectivity in the genre. With Bluetooth, a digital optical input, an analog input, a subwoofer output, and a USB port for charging devices, the Allaire is suitable for almost any installation. It includes a 1-inch dome tweeter and a 4-inch woven fiberglass woofer. However, what really sells us on this set is its outstanding sound quality, which offers rich bass response, pure midrange details, and pristine treble. For a desktop that often doubles as an entertainment center, there is no better choice at this price point.

The Rest

The ultra-modern e25 Luna Eclipse is as outstanding in terms of build quality as it is in sound. The slick, egg-shaped speakers produce a clear, open midrange and a surprising amount of bass via the integrated 3.5-inch drivers and dual passive radiators. They offer phenomenal sound for the price, with a bevy of flashy features to boot – such as an auxiliary port for connecting to additional devices.

The overall output of Logitech’s Z337 speaker kit is rather decent for a desktop-oriented system, providing 40 watts of quality sound without rattling the walls: a pair of eight-watt satellite speakers and a 24-watt subwoofer pumping deep bass at your feet. But the kit isn’t just for your desktop or laptop: it’s a great setup for your Bluetooth device too (v4.1 and newer). Other connectivity options include a 3.5mm audio jack, one RCA input, and a headphone jack. Adding to the bundle is a wired audio dial for pairing Bluetooth devices to the system, adjusting the volume, and switching off the power. The subwoofer has its own-built in control dial to manually adjust the bass.

Audioengine’s A2+ are a simple and sweet speaker upgrade for your computer or related devices. The dynamic bookshelf speakers bask in clear accuracy and nuanced undertones that span the frequency range, while offering an integrated digital-to-analog converter that lets you forego your computer’s analog output in favor of a purer signal. These speakers may lack a bit in the low-end, but they shine with versatility.

Bose has a certain reputation for high-priced speakers that can easily fill a room with swelling sound. In this particular case, that reputation is well deserved. This pricey speaker set (a subwoofer, plus drivers perched on stands to better broadcast their sound) is perfect for supplying office music or using computer speakers as your primary house music system. They are also compatible with additional audio devices with an included USB cable, as well as Bose Bluetooth adapters. If you are looking for a top line speaker set that’s extra low on maintenance, this makes a great choice.

Version 2 of Creative’s GigaWorks T20 Series kit consists of two 14-watt speakers each with a dedicated cloth-domed tweeter and a larger mid-range driver. There’s no included subwoofer, but instead each speaker consists of what Creative calls BasXPort: proprietary technology that pushes sound waves from the inner chamber up through an opening at the top of each speaker to produce better, natural mid-range audio. But you can still control your bass level through a dedicated knob found on the right speaker along with treble and volume controls. The right speaker even provides a headphone jack and a 3.5mm auxiliary jack for audio input.